


The Playboy, the Maid, and the Samurai

by Denshi_Alpha



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2017-11-27 23:31:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/667706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denshi_Alpha/pseuds/Denshi_Alpha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Cross, an expensive gigolo, decides that his young ward Allen must follow in his professional footsteps. But the first client Allen gets demands something Allen never expected...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rude Awakening

‘General Cross! General Cross!’ 

Allen tried to wake his guardian, but in vain. The man groaned and pulled his blanket over his head. Allen sighed in annoyance. General Cross had been out all night again, and was probably having the grandfather of all hangovers.

‘General Cross!’Allen tried again, but no answer.

‘That jerk,’ Allen thought. That man wasn’t even a real general. Once, during a spring cleaning, Allen found some documents about honourable discharge from the army, and Cross was only a captain. But he called himself General to impress the ladies.

‘Honourable, my arse,’ uncharitably thought Allen. It was not like making a living as a high-class gigolo was all that honourable.

‘General!’ Allen shook the man by the shoulder. 

‘G’way ‘n die,’ mumbled Cross.

‘Your client will be here in an hour,’ Allen tried to appeal to the few Cross’ brain cells that had woken up.

‘Tell ‘er ho go away and die,’ Cross growled.

‘It’s Count Tyki Mikk,’ Allen said.

‘Oh, damn it to hell,’ Cross grumbled, and finally threw off his blanket and padded to the shower stark naked. 

‘Cook me some food,’ he ordered Allen before closing the bathroom door. Allen finished making Cross’ bed and went to the kitchen.

When Allen was younger, he had often wondered why Cross did not decide to give Allen away after Cross’ wife died. Allen had not managed to get to know Anita well, but she seemed to love children, and obviously Cross only agreed to adopt him for her sake. And after that horrible car crash it would have been reasonable for Cross to give Allen up. But after all these years of living with Cross Allen knew for sure – Cross just wanted somebody to cook, clean, do the laundry, and wash the dishes. And Allen was stuck with General Cross until he turned eighteen. 

General Cross, dressed in his luxurious purple bathrobe, walked into the kitchen towelling his hair. 

‘What’s that? Bacon and eggs again?’ he poked his plate with disdain. ‘Oh well.’

Despite all the grumbling, he ate the food quickly, and downed a large cup of coffee. 

‘Tyki will be here soon, so scram. And don’t come back for three hours,’ Cross told Allen. 

Allen nodded, quickly washed the dishes and left.

He was just walking out of their house, when he met Count Mikk.

‘Isn’t that Cross’ boy? My, how you have grown!’ the count noted.

‘Good afternoon, Count Mikk,’ Allen greeted politely, though he didn’t really feel like talking to the man. There was always something mocking about his manner of speech. Like now – Allen knew he was shorter than most guys of his age, was Mikk trying to point that out?

‘Maybe you’ll join Cross in entertaining his guests soon?’ Count Mikk asked, and lewdly winked to Allen.

Allen cringed – he had no intention to lead the same lifestyle like his guardian. Allen answered: ‘I’m sure General Cross can take care of his business himself.’

For a second Count Mikk looked annoyed at being referred to as ‘business’, but then he flippantly said: ‘I suppose I’ll go and see if he can!’

Count Mikk tipped his hat to Allen and walked towards the lift.

‘Too posh to use the stairs, huh?’ Allen thought mockingly. But then he pushed Mikk and Cross out of his mind and started thinking about what to do for the next three hours.


	2. A Persuasive Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cross reveals his plans for Allen’s future and uses dishonourable methods to make Allen agree.

After three hours of aimless wandering around the city Allen finally walked home. He rang at the door, and Cross let him in. General had an unusually thoughtful expression, but Allen did not find the cause of it until later, when they had had a supper.

Cross lit his post-meal cigarette and asked: ‘Hey, Allen, how old are you?’

Allen suppressed a resigned sigh – Cross did not remember Allen’s birthday, so, of course, he would not remember his age, either.

‘Seventeen, why?’ Allen replied.

‘Tyki gave me a rather interesting idea today,’ Cross explained, and Allen felt worried – what idea could that man have given Cross?

‘I raised you practically like my own son, so isn’t it time you repaid me for that favour?’ Cross asked.

‘I didn’t ask you to raise me,’ Allen replied indignantly. ‘And payback – all those years of cooking and cleaning should be enough!’

‘Mouthy little ingrate,’ Cross smirked. ‘But I’ll fix that. Allen, are you still a virgin?’

Allen’s train of thoughts was completely derailed by that question. Despite Cross’ line of work, they never really talked about sex, so the subject was uncomfortable for Allen, and he tried not to blush. Judging from Cross’ amused expression, he failed. 

Well, the fact of life was, Allen was indeed a virgin. He considered it Cross’ fault, or rather, the influence of Cross’ clients. He didn’t meet them often, but those women he had seen generally wore too much make-up, and too much perfume, and were too loud, and tried to pinch his cheeks. Not always the ones in his face. Allen thought that the girl of his dreams would have to be absolutely different, and he had not met anyone who would fit his criteria yet.

‘I thought so,’ said Cross with some satisfaction. ‘I’m gonna show you how fun my profession will be, and after that you’ll be begging me to let you repay the favour!’ 

For a lazy man Cross could move surprisingly fast, and, before Allen even managed to ask whether Cross had lost his damn mind, he was pinned to the kitchen wall, Cross effortlessly holding both Allen’s wrists in one hand, and his other hand possessively grabbing Allen’s hip.

‘Let go!’ Allen ordered, and tried to struggle.

‘Nope,’ Cross grinned, and bent down to plant a kiss on Allen’s lips. It was too unexpected, and when Allen understood he should try to bite Cross or headbutt him or do something, Cross had already moved away to press fully against Allen, not giving him any space to manoeuvre and kick. 

‘Relax and enjoy,’ Cross purred, and gave Allen’s neck a long lick culminating with a firm suck on Allen’s earlobe. 

Allen tried to jerk away, but Cross held him firmly. Allen felt really angry at the whole situation, yet he could not help but react to that hot, wet tongue travelling over his skin. Cross let go of his ear and slid down Allen’s body. It would have been a good chance to do something for Allen, but he forgot all about struggling when Cross’ mouth descended on his nipple and bit it through the thin cotton T-shirt Allen was wearing. The slight pain felt like a jolt of electricity, and Allen shuddered.

‘Responsive,’ Cross commented, and pulled Allen’s shirt up to expose Allen’s chest. Allen squirmed to get the shirt back down, but Cross twisted the hem behind the collar, not giving Allen the possibility to cover himself.

‘Stop that,’ Allen tried to reason with Cross again, but the man just gave him a predatory grin, and this time licked over Allen’s naked nipple. Allen bit back a surprised gasp – it felt good! It would have been much better if it were not Cross doing it. Allen could not tolerate that, he started struggling for real, and Cross painfully squeezed his wrists.

‘Don’t do that, Allen, you’ll hurt yourself,’ Cross said with a mocking care in his voice, and once again directed his attention to Allen’s nipples, biting, suckling and licking them. Allen was getting lost in the pleasant sensations when suddenly Cross stopped.

Allen dazedly looked down at Cross, who grinned and pressed a hand against Allen’s crotch. Allen gasped. Previously he was too caught up in the situation and did not notice, but now it was clear that he had an erection.

‘So hard already,’ Cross commented. ‘Ah, to be young again!’ 

Cross gave Allen’s cock a light squeeze, and Allen could not help but thrust into that touch.

‘That’s right, enjoy it,’ Cross encouraged. Allen gritted his teeth – that bastard Cross was making fun of him! Cross apparently noticed that Allen was not going to enjoy, and single-handedly unzipped Allen’s jeans, pulled them down a little and grinned.

Allen’s rigid cock was tenting his grey cotton briefs, and there was a noticeable wet spot at the cockhead. Once again Cross squeezed it, and Allen moaned despite his desire to keep quiet. It felt so much better when only a thin layer of cotton separated them – Cross’ had felt hotter, and its grip was stronger, and in general it was much more intense! Allen rocked his hips into the caress, and Cross took his hand away.

‘We’re not going any farther until you tell me exactly what I want to hear,’ said Cross in a no-nonsense tone. Allen bit his lips stubbornly – no matter how good it felt, he was not going along with Cross’ stupid idea.

‘Oh, you want it the hard way?’ snorted Cross. He continued stroking and squeezing Allen through the underwear, until Allen was panting with need. He had never experienced somebody touching him so intimately, and, though humiliating, it felt good.

‘Why don’t you be a good boy and tell me you’ll work for me?’ Cross suggested. ‘I’m getting tired of this.’  
‘Let me go,’ Allen weakly said. He was not sure how long he could keep up his plan of not giving in to Cross’ demands. The sensations were too overwhelming. Allen’s legs were already trembling with the effort of keeping him up.

‘You are so stubborn, it pisses me off,’ Cross growled, and carefully tugged Allen’s underwear down. Cross gazed down at Allen’s cock and smirked as the organ twitched under his scrutiny. 

‘So eager!’ Cross remarked. Allen fought a blush and tried to look away. 

And then in a blink of an eye Cross was on his knees sucking Allen’s cock. Allen almost screamed at that. All the previous touching and teasing had left him hyper-sensitive and aching for relief. It did not occur to Allen to push Cross away now that his hands were free – his mind was too concentrated on the delicious suction between his legs, on the wet heat that surrounded his dick...

And it was gone in a second again!

‘No!’ protested Allen.

‘Will you join my profession?’ Cross asked.

‘N-no,’ Allen gritted out. Cross gave Allen’s cock a brief lick, making Allen gasp.

‘You sure?’ Cross asked. Allen panted. He could not concentrate, his cock started to hurt. He needed just a little more stimulation... He reached down to jerk off, but Cross slapped his hand away.

‘P-please,’ Allen stuttered.

‘Please what?’ came Cross’ mocking reply.

‘I want to... I...’ Allen could not complete the sentence.

‘Give me what I want, I’ll give you what you want,’ Cross said, and softly blew on Allen’s cockhead. Allen moaned.

‘So you agree?’ Cross asked.

‘Yes, yes,’ Allen almost screamed. He could not bear this torture anymore.

‘Good,’ Cross said, and swallowed Allen’s cock down to the root. Allen thrust in Cross’ mouth once or twice and came with a scream. Cross let Allen’s cock slip out of his mouth and got up. Allen tiredly slid down the wall and slumped on the floor. 

Cross rinsed his mouth at the kitchen sink and remarked to Allen: ‘See, was not so bad!’

Allen buried his face in his hands. Now that the arousal was gone, he was absolutely horrified by what had just happened, and what it meant for his future.

‘You’ll start working as soon as I find a good customer for you,’ Cross said, and walked out of the kitchen.


	3. Business As Usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen deals with the aftermath of his experience, and arrangements for his first client are made.

The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Cross obviously decided to pretend that nothing had happened. He never even talked about work with Allen, and Allen had begun hoping that the whole idea about work was just Cross being a bastard, that Cross did not actually intend to prostitute him. 

Could it be that the whole conversation about work was just an excuse for Cross to get his hands on Allen? But it made no sense – Cross had never shown any sign of sexual interest in Allen before, and continued not showing any after. It was not like Cross would actually commit a full-fledged rape, was it? Or maybe it was Allen’s fault that it had come to that – if he had resisted more forcefully...

That was the thing that bothered Allen most about their encounter with Cross. He had had many opportunities to fight against Cross – push him aside, pull his hair, anything would do. Allen had no illusions that he could actually overpower Cross – after all, Cross was bigger and had probably retained some close combat training from his soldier years. But the way Allen just stood there, taking it, begging for it...

Allen blushed with shame and humiliation every time he thought back on that. He could not even begin to think what would happen if Cross was really serious about Allen working. Still, nothing indicated any new developments in that respect. Nothing, until that fateful Friday happened.

When Allen returned home from school, he saw an unfamiliar pair of shoes under the coat hanger, and was surprised. Cross usually arranged his work so that the clients came either early, while Allen was still at school, or late so Allen could go away. Of course, sometimes it did not work out quite as nicely, like on that memorable occasion when Allen had the flu and was in bed in his room, getting an earful of Cross’ client’s screams about the General invading her vital regions and such.

But usually the clients did not get to see Allen, so some sixth sense told him that the stranger in their home quite likely meant something bad for Allen. Allen tiptoed to his room, trying to avoid being seen, but it didn’t work.

‘Allen, come here!’ Cross called from the sitting room. Allen considered not answering the call, but it would be worse if Cross had to come and drag him to that room. Allen sighed and did as he was told.

In the sitting room Allen saw Cross and another guy comfortably lounging on a sofa. The stranger was quite young, Allen guessed he could not have been older than twenty-five. His most notable feature was his hair, the colour so intense Allen decided to call it orange. 

‘Say hello, Allen!’ Cross ordered. Allen was tempted to say ‘Hello, Allen!’ just to annoy Cross, but he did not – after all, it was not yet unmistakeably clear what the orange-haired man wanted with him.

‘Good afternoon,’ Allen greeted politely.

‘Hello, I’m Lavi!’ the orange-haired guy smiled.

‘Allen, have a seat!’ Cross waived in the direction of the chair, and Allen nervously perched on the edge of it, feeling the weight of Lavi’s gaze on him. Could this guy be his new client, Allen uneasily wondered. He glanced at Cross, but the man was wearing his best poker face, and his intentions could not be read.

‘So, Allen, General Cross tells me you’re new to this business?’ Lavi asked cheerfully.

‘This business?’ Allen echoed, his mind racing. That Lavi person was definitely a client! Oh crap, what now? Maybe put him off the idea of sex with Allen somehow? But how? Or get up and run away immediately? But where? And how far could he get before getting caught? And what would Cross do when Allen was brought back?

‘He’s still a bit shy, but we’re working on it,’ Cross reassured Lavi, simultaneously giving Allen an evil glare that unmistakably meant that Allen was doing something wrong. 

‘That’s ok; I’m pretty sure that small, shy, and cute is Yuu’s type,’ Lavi replied, still eyeing Allen. What was that supposed to mean, Allen wondered. Was Lavi going to hire a prostitute for someone else? This only made things worse somehow.

‘And General Cross, are you sure he is a virgin?’ Lavi asked. Allen gritted his teeth – they were discussing the most intimate aspects of his life as if he was not even there. He would not tolerate that sort of attitude. He would stand up and shout that it was sick and wrong, and disgusting, and he would never do that. 

Apparently Cross was something of a mind reader. He got up from his sofa, walked up to Allen and put his hand on Allen’s shoulder. To a casual observer it might have looked like an encouraging gesture, but Allen felt that hand press on some particular point that nearly reverberated with pain through all his body. It took all he had not to whimper. 

‘Of course he is,’ Cross replied. ‘Don’t worry, this boy will do perfectly.’ He removed his hand from Allen, and Allen gasped with relief. Damn Cross, Allen though. What an unspeakable bastard, to bully him into not arguing using such a dirty tactic. But it was not a lost fight yet. 

It occurred to Allen that he would probably get paid for what he did, and, from what he knew, prostitutes earned quite a lot of money. If Allen went along with Cross’ disgusting scheme, just this one time, he would actually get enough money to leave the city, and with some luck, go so far away that even Cross, with his acquaintances and connections, would not be able to locate him. 

Allen resurfaced from his thoughts just in time to hear Cross say: ‘Very well, I’ll just give Allen some last minute advice and he’ll be ready!’ 

Cross dragged Allen out of the room and, when they were well away from Lavi’s hearing, said in a low, angry voice:’ That’s a very important customer I’m giving you! If you screw up... Well, you’d better not to, is what I’m saying.’

Allen gave Cross a defiant glare, but Cross continued: ‘Just sex is ok, but don’t agree to any weird shit, that’s not for a greenhorn like you. Don’t do anything that might leave permanent marks. And take this!’

He thrust a tube of something at Allen, who took it, and read the label that said ‘Intimate lubricant’. 

‘What?’ Allen asked.

‘Use it before sex, idiot!’ Cross replied. ‘And this, too, and make sure that guy wears it.’ He gave Allen a tiny foil package, which Allen recognised to be a condom.

‘Now, be polite to your client, and don’t let me down!’ Cross said in mock fatherly tone, and went to fetch Lavi, leaving Allen in despair – not only was he going to be a prostitute, his first client would have to be a guy!


	4. On the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen comes to a decision about his predicament.

Allen suspected he might find men somewhat attractive, but he had not given it much thought, as his interest in sex was not so developed. However, when he did think of his first time, he imagined a girl, with a big rack, and possibly a good personality. Losing his virginity with a man had not entered his plans. That was the thought that occupied his brain all the way while he was walking downstairs.

Seeing Lavi’s ridiculously flashy lime green car did make Allen forget about his thoughts for a moment, only to wonder why anyone would ever buy a car that hideous. However, Allen’s foul mood returned soon enough, and he did not pay attention neither to the music Lavi listened while driving, nor to Lavi’s incessant chattering. 

Still, one bit of Lavi’s monologue caught Allen’s attention: ‘...will totally give a huge tip...’ 

Allen felt startled – a tip? Wasn’t he supposed to get paid for this properly? 

‘He is not going to pay for this?’ Allen asked carefully.

‘Nah, I’ve settled all payments with Cross. It wouldn’t be much of a birthday present, if Yuu had to pay for it himself, right? Didn’t Cross tell you?’ Lavi asked.

‘He didn’t,’ Allen replied hollowly, barely resisting the urge to bang his head against the dashboard. There goes his plan of getting money and leaving the city. That bastard Cross had probably foreseen this! Maybe Allen should try running away without any money? But how far would he get before Cross’ buddies noticed him and brought him back? Cross had contacts everywhere, Allen had no idea why a gigolo like Cross was so influential, but that was the fact of life. 

‘Allen! Hey, Allen!’ Lavi’s voice penetrated Allen’s consciousness. Allen resurfaced from his gloomy thoughts and found that the car had stopped, and Lavi was looking at him worriedly.

‘You ok, Allen? Looked like you totally spaced out there,’ Lavi said. 

‘Yeah, I’m ok,’ Allen said automatically, not quite sure whether it was true. 

‘Look, I know you don’t have to tell me your story or anything, but Cross said you’re totally ok with doing this,’ Lavi said with a frown. ‘He didn’t lie, did he? Is he forcing you or something?’

Allen hesitated. Lavi seemed to be a decent guy. Only a decent guy would ask that sort of question. But what could Allen answer? Tell Lavi that Cross was forcing him to sell his body? And what then? Would they go to the police? That would get Lavi in trouble for buying a prostitute. Allen could bet Cross didn’t even tell Lavi that Allen was not even of legal age yet. 

Allen could go to the police alone, but what proof did he have? And most of the police were Cross’ friends, anyway. And if Lavi just took Allen back to Cross, Cross would just find Allen a new customer, and nothing will have changed. Allen did not know what to do.

‘Allen?’ Lavi asked again. 

Allen sighed. No, he should not get Lavi involved. Unlike most Cross’ clients, he seemed to be a decent guy, and it was not Lavi’s fault that Cross had taken all the money. Allen would have to see the whole thing through himself, without involving anyone. He would confront Cross and make clear that he was not Cross’ property and would not be treated as such. Still, the problem of the current client remained. Doing it would mean Cross had won, not doing it would mean cheating Lavi of his money... Allen clenched his teeth. He decided he would not run away.

‘I’ll do it!’ he told Lavi.

‘You sure?’ Lavi asked carefully.

‘Absolutely!’ Allen reaffirmed. 

‘All right. Then get out of the car, we’re here,’ Lavi said with a little shrug.

The client seemed to be rich, it was a rather posh neighbourhood. Living there probably cost a whole ton, thought Allen. They walked up to the entrance of one of the buildings, and Lavi pressed the one of the doorphone buttons. ‘Yuu Kanda’ read the note at the button. The name seemed familiar to Allen, but he could not quite remember where he had heard it before. There was no answer, and Allen hopefully thought that the man was not home.

‘Yuu is so stubborn,’ sighed Lavi, and held the button down.

The speaker cracked alive with an angry voice: ‘Stop that, or I’ll come down and tear you a new arsehole!’

‘Hi, Yuu! Open the door, your birthday present is here!’ cheerfully answered Lavi. Allen rolled his eyes. Great, now he was being treated like a thing.

‘Lavi, go the hell away and leave me alone,’ the voice growled.

‘Not a chance!’ Lavi replied. ‘Don’t be a spoilsport, open the door! I’ve got to deliver the present!’

‘Stuff it where the sun don’t shine and leave!’ the voice said. Allen was getting seriously worried already – his first client seemed to be a horrible, mean person. 

‘Not gonna,’ Lavi replied. ‘I’ll stay here and press the doorbell until you let me in.’

There was a silence, and then the voice said: ‘You will just deliver the present and leave, yes?’

Lavi snickered and said: ‘Absolutely!’

‘All right,’ the voice grudgingly replied and the door lock clicked. 

‘Come on in,’ Lavi motioned to Allen, and Allen followed him inside the building. Unsurprisingly, Yuu lived on the top floor, and they had to take a rather long lift ride. Lavi did not seem nervous, he was humming a little tune, but Allen felt his stomach was all in knots.

At last, the lift stopped with a little ‘ding’, and they stepped out to see a dark polished wooden door.

‘Here we are,’ Lavi smirked and knocked at the door.


	5. The Unexpected Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen finally meets his first client.

The door opened, and Allen finally saw his first client. Allen could not help but gasp in surprise. He knew he had heard the name somewhere, but now, when he saw the person who that name belonged to, it was finally clear who he was. Yuu Kanda, a currently popular actor in some sort of historical melodrama series – all girls in Allen’s school were crazy about him. 

Allen himself was not into romance, so he only knew what he had heard about the series. Apparently it was set in ancient Japan, and Kanda was a noble samurai or something. Well, he definitely looked the part – his glossy long hair was tied up in a ponytail and the frown on his subtly Asian features made him look like a warrior before the battle.

‘Hello, Yuu!’ cheerfully greeted Lavi, disregarding the frown.

‘Good afternoon,’ mumbled Allen, still somewhat overwhelmed at such a surprising development.

‘Come in, don’t stand like an idiot,’ said Kanda, and stepped aside, letting them into his flat. Allen quickly glanced around and was a little disappointed – the design of the flat seemed to be minimalistic and severe. Allen certainly had expected something more impressive from a celebrity.

‘What the hell possessed you to congratulate me, Lavi? You know I hate birthdays,’ grumbled Kanda. ‘And who is this beansprout?’

‘I’m Allen,’ said Allen, feeling irritated again, despite the fact that close up Kanda looked much more striking and attractive than in the TV advertisements and billboards. If only all Yuu Kanda’s fangirls knew what a grumpy arsehole that guy was, they wouldn’t be so crazy about him.

‘Nice to meet you, only not really,’ said Kanda. ‘Seriously, Lavi, give me the present and piss off, I’m not in the mood.’ 

‘You’re never in the mood. I think that’s because you need to get laid,’ said Lavi, and continued over Kanda's indignant growl: ‘And Allen is here for the purpose of making your birthday enjoyable in exactly that manner.’ 

It took Kanda a couple of seconds to work it out, and then he hissed angrily: ‘You bought me a whore for birthday? Are you completely out of your fucking mind?’

Allen flinched. Kanda sounded really mad, and looked like he was about to punch Lavi. But Lavi apparently was not bothered by that at all. He said: ‘Allen is not a whore, he is a paid companion! And he is a virgin, too! You said it yourself, that’s your kink. Remember, that one time you got drunk?’

For a moment Kanda looked embarrassed and said somewhat quieter: ‘That wasn’t how I meant it...’

But he immediately recovered and snarled: ‘I’m not that desperate. The whole idea is sick, you moron!’

‘There is nothing sick in blowing off some steam once in a while,’ giggled Lavi. 

Before Kanda even managed to protest again, Lavi said: ‘Allen is yours for the next three hours. I’ll come by and pick him up afterwards!’ With that, Lavi turned and walked out of Kanda’s flat, closing the door behind him with a clicking sound that felt like a death sentence to Allen.

Kanda was speechless for a moment at having been so completely ignored, but he got a hold of himself and gave Allen an angry glare. 

‘You, get the hell out of here,’ Kanda ordered Allen.

‘Where am I supposed to go?’ asked Allen, getting really fed up with Kanda's attitude. 

‘Somewhere that’s not here,’ Kanda gritted.

‘But Lavi will come to pick me up. If I’m not here...’ Allen let the sentence trail off meaningfully. 

‘That shit will make a fuss if you’re not here, I get it,’ sighed Kanda.

They both were quiet for a moment, Allen feeling somewhat uneasy as Kanda eyed him speculatively.

‘Hey shorty, do my dishes!’ suddenly said Kanda. 

Allen had a brief, horrible vision of trying to have sex with a teapot. But that could not be what Kanda wanted, could it? ‘What?’ he asked, forgetting even to get angry at being called shorty.

‘Come with me,’ Kanda ordered, and they went down the hall and came to a kitchen. It looked like something from a magazine on modern design, but all impression was spoiled by a huge pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Allen shuddered in disgust, he could have sworn some of the plates had mould growing on them.

‘Make yourself useful and wash these,’ Kanda said with a nod in the direction of the ghastly pile of dishes.

‘Don’t you have a housekeeper for that?’ Allen asked. It was not like he minded doing the dishes, he was used to chores after all these years with Cross. But somehow the whole thing was turning terribly anticlimactic. 

‘Yeah, I had a housekeeper. Have had several. Had to fire the last one – bitch stole my underwear and sold it on Ebay,’ Kanda sighed. 

Allen could not help but snort in amusement. And the previous housekeepers probably left because they couldn’t stand Kanda's temper.

‘I’m glad you find my problems funny, beansprout!’ said Kanda in a voice that definitely was not glad. ‘Now get to washing!’

Allen complied. It was not so horrible, when he got down to it – all the dishes were done in just thirty minutes. He put the last plate on the dish rack and sighed with the satisfaction of a job well done.

‘I guess I have to tell Kanda I’m done,’ Allen sighed. He left the kitchen and went into what he supposed should be the living room. What he saw there made him stop in his tracks – Yuu Kanda was shirtless and doing some sort of karate or some other martial art exercise thing Allen had no idea how to call. It looked fascinating, Allen had to admit. Kanda moved with a fluid grace and elegance it had probably taken him years to achieve. 

‘Maybe Kanda is not just a pretty face,’ Allen though.

‘How long are you going to stare?’ Kanda asked in a surprisingly civil tone. Apparently the exercises did a great job calming him down.

‘Oh, sorry. I just wanted to say I’m done with the dishes,’ Allen said.

‘No shit?’ Kanda asked with surprise. ‘That was quick.’

Allen just nodded in reply. Kanda looked at the clock on the wall and looked at Allen thoughtfully. 

‘There is still lots of time. What else can you do?’ Kanda asked.

‘What do you mean?’ Allen wanted to clarify.

‘Vacuum cleaning. Can you do that?’ Kanda asked in a doubtful manner.

‘Sure,’ Allen said, trying not to roll his eyes. 

 

In the next two hours Allen had vacuumed carpets all over Kanda’s flat, dusted the shelves, watered some poor half-dead plants and washed the bath. The last chore was the most unpleasant, the bath felt almost slimy. Kanda was not just a grumpy unpleasant person, he was also a horrible slob, thought Allen.

‘Hey, beansprout, finish it up, your time is almost over,’ Kanda said, standing at the bathroom door.

‘I’m Allen!’ Allen said almost angrily – he deserved being called by his name after doing chores for three hours.

‘Whatever,’ Kanda said, and left. 

Allen quickly put away the cleaning utensils and washed his hands. The reality of the situation caught up with Allen again – Cross still wanted Allen to work as a gigolo, so even if this time Allen got away with not having sex, next time he might not be so lucky. Maybe Kanda would give Allen a huge tip for all the cleaning? 

Allen went to the living room again. Kanda was looking out of the window, but immediately turned and gave Allen another one of his thoughtful looks.

‘Listen, you’re not half bad at this cleaning thing,’ said Kanda. ‘Do you want to be my housekeeper?’

Allen was somewhat shocked at the offer, he definitely had not expected that. But he thought quickly and asked: ‘How much will you pay?’

Kanda named the number, and Allen had to try very hard to suppress a surprised gasp – with that sort of money he could live happily ever after! But there was still the problem with Cross – that man was Allen’s legal guardian, and will remain that until Allen was eighteen. That was still several months to go.

‘That is a very generous offer,’ Allen said. ‘I accept! But is it ok if we pretend that I’m not here for housekeeping?’

‘Why?’ suspiciously asked Kanda.

‘Well, my guardian sort of wanted me to choose another job,’ Allen explained awkwardly, not wanting to get into sordid details of his relationship with Cross.

‘Your guardian thinks that whoring is better than an honest job?’ Kanda grimaced in disgust, but added: ‘Whatever, you can tell him anything you wish. But if you tell anything to the press, I’ll rip your balls off. And I want you to be here tomorrow and finish the cleaning.’

‘Wait, do I have to come here every day?’ Allen asked. Chores were not bad, but doing them every day was just too much.

‘Three times a week will be sufficient. If you clean everything well, that is,’ Kanda said. 

Allen didn’t manage to assure Kanda that he would do everything well – the doorbell rang, and Kanda went to get the door.

It was Lavi, and he looked even more cheerful than before.

‘So, did the two of you had a great time?’ he asked.

‘Fantastic time,’ sourly said Kanda. ‘In fact, I want to hire the beansprout long-term for three times a week.’

‘Wow, Allen, you must be great in bed!’ Lavi said, making Allen blush. ‘Ok, I’ll ask General Cross about it.’

‘You don’t have to, I can...’ Allen began, but Lavi interrupted: ‘No, no, let me! It’s rare that Yuu likes my presents this much!’

‘Don’t call me Yuu! And get the hell out of here already!’ Kanda ordered, so Allen and Lavi left.


	6. Lived Fast, Died Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen witnesses an outcome of a tragic event.

On the way back Allen’s mood had really improved. Life didn’t seem so bad anymore. He just had to pretend that he was being intimate with Kanda - that would keep Cross satisfied. Meanwhile he would save money and then, when he turned eighteen, Cross would have no legal reasons to keep him, all his connections be damned.

Lavi seemed to be in a good mood, too, judging from his constant leers and less than subtle attempts to find out how Kanda behaved in bed. Of course, Allen did not say a thing about that – simply because he didn’t know, but even if he did, it would not do to tell such intimate details. The car ride back to Cross’ seemed shorter than the time it took them to get to Kanda’s place, and soon Lavi’s flashy car was parked in front of Cross’ house and Lavi and Allen were walking up the stairs to Cross’ flat.

‘You don’t have to come, I can arrange everything myself,’ said Allen again. He felt that it would be easier to deal with Cross on his own. In all these years he had gained some understanding about the workings of Cross’ mind, so he was somewhat sure he would be able to lie convincingly about today’s client. But Lavi might end up saying something that would make Cross suspicious.

‘Nonsense!’ cheerfully replied Lavi. ‘I want to talk to him, maybe he has someone suitable for me too! Although, sorry, Allen, but I’m into girls only!’

Allen rolled his eyes – no need to apologise, he did not feel disappointed by that. Besides, Lavi could not know for sure, just a couple of weeks ago Allen also thought he was into girls only, and look at him now, almost having sex with a guy. Well, in the end he didn’t have sex, which was good, Allen supposed. Kanda was attractive and all, but that personality made him cringe... Anyway, it won’t be so bad if he didn’t interact with Kanda, after all, he would only have to do the chores.

They finally reached the doors of Cross’ flat. The door was slightly ajar. Allen frowned – leaving it like that was quite unlike Cross. He pushed to door open and invited Lavi inside. No strangers’ shoes or clothes on the hanger, Cross must be alone, then.

‘General Cross!’ Allen called. ‘I’m home!’

No reply.

‘He’s probably in the bedroom,’ Allen told Lavi. ‘I’ll just go and check...’

‘Nah, I’ll go. You probably want to take a shower, don’t you?’ Lavi winked.

‘Yeah, but...’ Allen tried to object, but Lavi already cheerfully bounced along the corridor towards Cross’ bedroom, Allen trailing behind him.

‘General Cross, your young ward is back!’ Lavi announced, pushing open the bedroom door. He suddenly froze and Allen heard his horrified whisper; ‘Oh shit...’

‘What?’ Allen asked nervously. Lavi blocked all his view of the bedroom, so Allen could not see what caused that reaction. Lavi slowly backed away and closed the door.

‘What happened?’ Allen repeated with some apprehension.

Lavi gave him a serious look. ‘We need to call the police. Sorry, Allen, but Cross is dead!’

‘What? No way!’ Allen made to open the door again, and Lavi grabbed him by the hand.

‘You should not look, it’s really not pretty!’ he said.

‘I need to see!’ Allen pushed Lavi aside and went into the room. He stopped immediately and took in the scene in front of him.

Lavi was right, it was not pretty. There was no blood or carnage, but Cross was unmistakably dead. Nobody could lie in bed so stiffly, with limbs in such awkward positions, have such bulging empty eyes and such a horrible purple bruise around the neck, and be alive...

‘Oh god...’ Allen whispered. He felt almost sick. Was this, this thing that looked like a broken doll, really the same person who had talked to him just a couple of hours ago?

‘We need to check the pulse, he might be alive!’ Allen said quietly, even though it was obvious that it was a foolish hope.

‘Allen, he’s definitely not alive...’ Lavi said with some pity in his voice.

‘I’ll check!’ Allen said. He moved close to Cross’ body and hovered near it in indecision. How did one check the pulse, anyway? On the neck? On the wrist? Allen decided he was not touching the neck, not when it looked like that, with all the bruising. He carefully grasped Cross’ wrist, and almost immediately let go – it was pointless to check the pulse, nothing living could feel that cold.

‘Ok, I’m calling the police now!’ Lavi said, and Allen nodded.

He walked out of the room, plopped down on the sofa in the sitting-room and put his head in his hands. His brain felt like in a jumble. Cross dead? It seemed impossible! Not Cross, who always seemed more full of life than other people. Talking louder, laughing more, drinking more than everyone else. Suddenly all the troubles Cross had caused to Allen seemed almost to melt away, leaving only emptiness. After all, even though Cross was a complete jerk, he was the only family Allen had had. And now he was gone... Allen pinched his nose bridge to distract himself from tears that prickled at his eyelids. No way he would cry for that old bastard. Now that Cross was gone, Allen would finally be free! Only why did that feel so sad?

‘Allen?’ Lavi’s careful question intruded on Allen’s thoughts. ‘The police should be here any moment now...’

‘Yeah, ok, thanks,’ Allen muttered.

It took longer than a moment, but the police arrived almost quicker than Allen would have liked. Now that he thought about it, all the explanations about who Cross was, and what he did, and where Allen had been during the time Cross died – it would all be pretty suspicious and probably get the attention of the police.

And now that Allen though about it, Cross didn’t just die – that bruising on the neck was a definite sign of strangulation. Cross had been killed!


	7. Murder Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An investigation of Cross' death has begun, and Allen experiences some unpleasant moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, how do I even start apologising for three years without updates of the story? I really am sorry, you guys. But I'm also lazy and easily distracted by other fandoms. But this time, I hope, I will be able to continue this fic more or less regularly, after all, the new anime has somewhat revived my interest in the fandom. And I'm also sorry if the quality of my writing has decreased because I'm out of practice. Basically, I'm very sorry for everything in general! But I still hope you will like this chapter. Even though not much happens in it and it's just mostly preparation for the next chapter.

There was a knock on the door, Lavi went to get it and ushered into the room a stern woman dressed in a police uniform. Allen felt like he had seen her before, she looked rather imposing and cold. She was followed by a couple of police officers and people Allen guessed where from the forensics, since they were wearing masks and gloves. 

‘Good afternoon, I am Inspector Epstain. So what happened here?’ the woman said. 

‘Me and Lavi were visiting a friend, and then we came back and discovered that General Cross was dead,’ said Allen before Lavi tried to speak up. Allen figured at this point the reason why he was away in the first place did not matter, and he did not want the whole prostitution thing to come to light just yet. 

‘I see. That is a pity, I knew General Cross quite well,’ Inspector Epstain said, and Allen wondered if she would have been one of Cross’ clients, after all, he recognised her from somewhere. But then she did not seem to be the type of person who would need paid companionship. 

‘Show us the body,’ she said. Lavi started to get up, but Allen waved him to stay, he felt like it should be his duty to show the police around, it was his home, after all. He took the police to Cross’ room, but did not go inside, he did not want to look at the dead body again. Allen heard some noises and bits of conversation from the room, obviously the officers were investigating the situation. 

‘Hey, Allen, you okay?’ Lavi came up to him, probably tired of staying in the room with a silent police officer watching over him. 

Was he okay? Allen wondered. In his heart he knew he should be upset or worried, or feel at least something, but instead there were just annoying little thoughts buzzing around his heard – would he have to arrange the funeral? Would he have to sell the flat? Would he be a suspect? But Lavi had nothing to do with all that, so Allen just nodded.

‘Look, Allen,’ Lavi whispered, ‘about Yuu... It would look bad if the press found out about today, so maybe you could just keep silent about it?’

‘But they will ask where I was at the time when Cross died,’ Allen whispered back. Lavi rubbed his forehead. 

‘We need to think of something. Earlier, you said we were seeing a friend, so maybe just repeat that, if they ask?’

‘Kanda is not my friend,’ said Allen. Who would even want to be a friend with that guy? But he did offer him a job... ‘I know! You can tell the police that he is your friend and you took me to see him because he was offering a part-time job and I needed one.’ 

Lavi looked rather doubtful and looked like he was about to object, but at that moment Inspector Epstain stepped out of Cross’ bedroom. 

‘Yes, unfortunately there is nothing we can do any more, your guardian is not among the living,’ she said to Allen. He narrowed his eyes. He never said anything about Cross been his guardian, so the woman really did know a lot about their situation. She seemed to sense his distrust and said, ‘Why don’t we sit down and talk, just the two of us?’  
Allen wordlessly took her to the kitchen. 

‘Aren’t you going to say that I have the rights to remain silent or something?’ he asked. Inspector Epstain gave him a small, thin smile. 

‘You are not being arrested, Allen. It’s obvious you couldn’t have killed Cross, even if you wanted to. For one thing, he was stronger than you, and for another, your hands are much narrower than the marks on his neck. We police officers notice these things immediately. Your friend however... Lavi, was it? He might be a likely candidate.’

‘Lavi?’ Allen repeated. That made no sense. ‘He barely even knew Cross, he wouldn’t!’ 

‘I believe you, but we need to consider all possibilities. Now, why don’t you tell me what happened today? Any detail could help.’ 

Allen chewed on his lip. Inspector Epstain seemed to know some things about Cross, but did she know what he did for a living? Allen did not want to talk about it much, the topic was not something he could comfortably discuss with a stranger. And yet, she did say any detail could help. He did not want Cross’ murderer to go unpunished. 

It was as if Inspector Epstain sensed his doubts because she said, ‘Don’t worry, Allen, I know about the lifestyle of General Cross. I never approved of it, but it didn’t hurt anybody, so I did not intervene.’ 

‘Well, it sort of hurt me,’ thought Allen, remembering that one time Cross tried to push him into participating in his business. And in the end it really hurt Cross himself. But the Inspector was waiting for his answer so Allen sighed and started his story. 

‘It was just an ordinary day, I went to school in the morning and then I came back and Lavi was here.’ 

‘So who is Lavi, a friend of the General?’ asked Inspector Epstain. 

‘I don’t know,’ said Allen, ‘I had never seen him before. But he offered me a part-time job with his friend and the general agreed.’

‘What sort of job?’ asked the Inspector. 

‘Just cleaning,’ said Allen casually. ‘So me and Lavi went to that guy’s house, I cleaned it for a couple of hours and Lavi took me back here.’

‘Interesting,’ remarked Inspector Epstain. ‘Doesn’t Lavi have anything to do? He was just driving you around all day. And where was he while you were cleaning?’

‘I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter, Lavi has nothing to do with this!’ Allen was already getting annoyed. Why did the Inspector insist on dragging Lavi into it?

‘I just find it curious how you defend a person you have never even seen before today,’ said Inspector Epstain. ‘Unless of course you actually know him quite well, and orchestrated all of this to get General’s money.’

‘What money?’ Allen asked.

‘General Cross was really rich, didn’t you know? But I guess he did not share much of that money with you, since you had to look for a part-time job. So maybe you just got tired of him not giving you any cash? A growing boy has his needs...’

Allen jumped from his seat, making his chair fall, and yelled,’ How can you even...’

But at that moment Lavi appeared at the door and said, ‘Inspector Epstain, sorry to butt in, but did you know that Allen is in fact underage? Shouldn’t you talk to him only in presence of his legal guardian?’

Inspector Epstain once again smiled, ‘Indeed, how remiss of me. But who is Allen’s guardian now that General Cross is dead?’

Allen did not know that. A relative of Cross’? Did the General even have relatives?

‘Very well, I will have to investigate it. In the meantime, I will have to ask both of you not to leave the city. As soon as we have found out, who Allen’s legal guardian is, we will invite you to a conversation at the police station.’ 

The Inspector went to gather her subordinates and soon left, taking Cross’ body with them. The flat seemed very quiet now.

‘That was unpleasant, wasn’t it?’ said Lavi with forced cheerfulness. ‘Do you think that Inspector woman has something against Cross? She said she knew him, but maybe she didn’t mean it in a good way.’ 

‘I don’t know,’ Allen said. He suddenly felt really tired. Lavi noticed that.

‘Hey, you are about to fall asleep right here! But maybe you should not stay alone tonight? Do you have any friends you could go to?’

Allen shrugged. He got along with his classmates just fine, but he didn’t really have close friends, at least not the kind he could call at night and ask to let him stay with them. But staying alone right where Cross had been killed did not seem pleasant.

‘I wish I could take you home with me, but I’m staying in a hotel, I just came here for some business and for Yuu’s birthday really,’ said Lavi apologetically, and then suddenly grinned. ‘That gives me an idea!’

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a button. Allen understood what he was planning and tried to grab the phone, but it was too late.

‘Hi, Yuu! Sorry I’m calling you so late, but I need your help!’

 

In the next chapter – Allen spends the night at Casa de Kanda and finds out that his host is not an ice-cold jerk he seemed to be at first.


End file.
